The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has urged the bipartisan Conference Committee of the National Assembly to adopt the House of Representatives’ version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, saying it is vital to enhancing electoral transparency and credibility in the country.
In a statement issued to journalists on Friday, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, James Ezema, said the House version of the bill, which makes electronic transmission of election results mandatory, provides a more reliable framework for conducting free, fair, and verifiable elections in Nigeria.
According to the CNPP, the proposed amendment by the House of Representatives compels presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time immediately after collation at polling units, thereby removing discretion in the transmission of results.
The group, however, faulted the Senate for retaining provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 that grant INEC discretionary powers over the mode and manner of transmitting election results and accreditation data.
Describing the Senate’s position as “unacceptable and anti-democratic,” the CNPP warned that it could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and pose serious risks to Nigeria’s democratic stability.
The organisation argued that retaining discretionary provisions preserves vulnerabilities that have historically enabled electoral malpractice, particularly during manual collation processes between polling units and collation centres.
It cited experiences from the 2023 general elections, noting that the lack of enforced real-time electronic transmission of results led to widespread controversy, erosion of public trust, and extensive post-election litigation.
The CNPP also referenced the October 2023 Supreme Court judgment, which upheld INEC’s discretionary powers under the Electoral Act 2022, warning that maintaining the same legal framework could expose future elections to similar disputes and uncertainties.
While acknowledging infrastructural challenges such as poor network coverage in some parts of the country, the group insisted that flexibility should not come at the expense of accountability. It cautioned that discretionary electronic transmission weakens electoral justice by limiting the ability of aggrieved parties to rely on failure of electronic transmission as evidence in election petitions.
The CNPP further warned that failure to mandate electronic transmission of results could deepen voter apathy and erode trust in the democratic process, stressing that credible elections depend on public confidence in the accuracy and transparency of result transmission.
Describing mandatory electronic transmission as a global democratic standard, the group urged lawmakers not to treat it as negotiable in Nigeria’s electoral reform process.
The CNPP called on the Conference Committee of the National Assembly to adopt the House provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of results, remove discretionary clauses granting INEC unilateral authority over result transmission, and provide statutory penalties for failure to electronically transmit results, except in clearly defined exceptional circumstances.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with voters, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to advocate electoral reforms that promote transparency, accountability, and electoral justice, noting that history would judge the National Assembly by its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s electoral integrity rather than political expediency.